News Shorts: Warner TV To Rollout As A Free-To-Air Channel In The Czech Republic, Come Back To Me To Rollout On Telemundo Across Africa And Historical Drama We Were The Lucky Ones To Stream On Disney+ In April

Warner TV expands to other parts of Europe

The Czech Republic will have a brand new free-to-air TV channel next month as Warner TV launches on 2 April. It will be managed as part of the local Czech linear Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio.

Vaclav Palecek, Distribution and Business Development at Warner Bros. Discovery in the Czech Republic & Slovakia, said: “Starting April, Czech viewers will be able to enjoy the wide range of content, including movies and series, on Warner TV. We are close to launching our first free-to-air channel in the market and we will bring a great content library on-air for all the viewers, from classical films to popular series.”

In the Czech Republic, Warner Bros. Discovery operates 18 pay TV linear channels (Discovery, Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, Eurosport 4K, HGTV, TLC, Travel Channel, Investigation Discovery, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, CNN, Food Network, Animal Planet, HBO & HBO 2 & HBO 3, Cinemax & Cinemax 2) and the HBO Max streaming platform.

William Levy returns to Telemundo 

For its 2023 upfronts earlier last year, Telemundo announced William Levy was joining its star roster line-up in the new original romantic series Come Back To Me (Vuelve a Mi). It is set to launch April 8 at 22:00 replacing Game Of Lies.

In Vuelve a Mí, Levy is Santiago, whose love interest is actress Samadhi Zendejas, in her first leading role as Nuria.

The drama, set in Ciudad de Juárez and Ciudad de México, follows Nuria, a woman of humble means, who begins a relationship with Braulio (Ferdinando Valencia) without knowing he is one of the owners of the company where she works to support her son and sister. The lives of the main characters begin to intertwine after the tragic kidnapping of Nuria's son Andrés. And when she least expects it, Santiago (Levy) enters her life to become the great love of her life and the pillar that keeps her hope alive.

New Hulu original launching soon

Disney has announced that the upcoming original series, “We Were The Lucky Ones”, will be coming to Disney+ globally on April 17th 2024.

Based on Georgia Hunter’s New York Times bestselling novel, the television adaptation of “We Were the Lucky Ones” is a limited series inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II, determined to survive and reunite. “We Were the Lucky Ones” demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can endure and even thrive. The series is a tribute to the triumph of hope and love against all odds.

The series stars Joey King, Logan Lerman, Hadas Yaron, Henry-Lloyd Hughes, Amit Rahav, Sam Woolf, Michael Aloni, Moran Rosenblatt, Eva Feiler, Lior Ashkenazi, and Robin Weigert.

Could Warner TV Be Heading To DStv As TNT Exits StarTimes And StarSat Platforms Across Africa?

During the day, StarSat quietly removed from the channel list as consumers seek answers for the future of WWE competitor All Elite Wrestling as the channel is nowhere to be seen on any of their platforms in the early hours of the day.

Through an enquiry by the pay-tv company, it had been confirmed that the channel has indeed been removed from their platforms. Due to a change in broadcasting rights, MultiChoice in which the pay-tv company refers to as competitor holds all the rights to TNT.

Although the channel is closed on StarSat, the pay-tv company is looking to source out a replacement channel for TNT. Unfortunately, All Elite Wrestling is exclusive to TNT meaning you need a DStv bouquet to watch the action unfold.

We are awaiting on a response from Warner Bros. Discovery about the matter as the pay-tv company has been known to tell lies in previous years blaming the supplier or other local factors. But if it does turn out to be true, what future could await the TNT channel on DStv.

During the year, Warner Bros. Discovery had celebrated 100 years of Warner Bros. Studios and each country celebrated with a line-up of content and as seen in most parts of Europe various Turner based general entertainment channels had been phased out for Warner TV.

The most notable region situating in France had rolled out Warner TV [Next] in a similar fashion to Cartoonito when it launched on Boomerang in March. It wouldn't seem far fetched if the same fate awaited Africa at some point.

Warner Bros. Discovery has been aligning their brands in recent months. I mean Boomerang wasn't removed because Warner felt it was out of touch but due to developments in other countries. If anything, the Boomerang DNA still resides on Cartoonito and same could await TNT and Warner TV.

If StarSat were to be lying, they'd be known as the biggest jokesters in the market. There is a reason media outlets refrain from the platform and that was due to the constant runaround and exchanging of content and linear channels. 

DreamWorks and TLNovelas were added in 2020 both of which last less than two years. Another instance Real Time and Investigation Discovery, siting Warner Bros. Discovery as the reason these channels went dark as part of a complete shutdown when it was contractual issues.

Toonami To Be Replaced By Warner TV Next In France, Channel Might Go Dark In Africa Alongside TNT

Warner Bros. Discovery announces the September 4 launch of Warner TV Next, Toonami's new brand identity. Intended primarily for a target audience of 25/49 year olds, Warner TV Next relies on the successful formula of Toonami, the first of the “new generation” channels.

Warner TV Next builds on the legacy of iconic studio Warner Bros., a studio celebrating its centenary throughout 2023. The Warner brand, synonymous with quality, boldness and innovation comes as a landmark for viewers since it is known by 4 out of 5 French people.

Visually, Warner TV Next affirms its affiliation with a Warner TV, the group's series and cinema channel through a new logo developed in-house.

The brand also deploys modern communication codes with very pop culture packaging and graphic codes, based on the emblematic Warner Bros. logo. Warner TV Next, like Warner TV, is marketed by FranceTV Publicité.

Warner TV Next is strong in programming that brings together all DC Comics fans thanks to the best animated series and films from the DC universe (Batman, Superman, Harley Quinn, Young Justice), Japanese animation (DragonBall Super, My Hero Academia) as well as wrestling with, exclusively, the AEW league. 

Warner TV Next also offers Adult Swim programs, the mark of all audacity, with animated series and fiction for millennials such as Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken, Royal Crackers, The Eric André Show or Primal. 

In other developments, Boomerang in the Middle East and North Africa will rebrand to Cartoonito on the same day Warner TV Next is launched. Similar to Cartoonito Africa, both brands will be offering the same content and only recieve a new coat of paint.

Interesting to note, Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the same scenario with TNT when it replaced TCM in 2018 in Africa. Now the channel airs a lot of modern age films some of which haven't been viewed on low tiered film channels and is home to wrestling promotion, AEW.

It currently ranks as the most watched movie channel in the South African market pulling at least 10 million households. As for Toonami, Warner Bros. Discovery has been very discreet in regards to performance and new content which puts it in precarious position.

Unlike France, Toonami was a 24 DC animation channel rehashing anime like Dragonball Super from Cartoon Network alongside other content like Justice League, Green Lantern, Teen Titans and Batman I mean not even Harley Quinn despite its rebrand in 2021.

It wouldn't seem far fetched if some changes awaited the channel and part of this had to with Warner TV. Our theory is that Toonami is dissolved with further content being divided between Cartoon Network, Boing and TNT.

The French team of Toonami also handled the channel in Africa so it's demise is inevitable.

Another brand whose future comes into question is TNT, Warner TV has been phasing out the brand across European territories in the general entertainment aspect. Warner TV could be something Warner Bros. Discovery explores for the market at some point.

Recap To The Past Month: TNT Rebranding Into Warner TV??? As Warner Bros. Discovery Africa Leaves A Trail Of Bread Crumbs

Last month, it was announced that Warner TV will be rolling out in more European countries with Italy expected to rollout the channel as a pay-tv brand while Spain joins Germany, Romania and Poland in folding it under the TNT brand name.

TNT is general entertainment channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery that is tailor made for contemporary and Hollywood blockbuster films in the African market. It features content that is action-driven, pulse-raising with a mixture of romantic gems and hilarious comedy.

As seen these past months, the brand's YouTube channel is more of a wasteland but the last video kicks of the campaign, "Celebrating Every Story". Of which, Warner Bros. Discovery has been using to rollout the premium entertainment brand, Warner TV.

Fast forward to Facebook, their last noted post to date celebrates Lethal Weapon with the hashtag #WB100. All of which indicate the presence of Warner TV in the African market.

As mentioned in the press release by Warner Bros Discovery in Spain:

Warner Bros. Discovery officially kicked off its global centennial campaign in January, under the banner Celebrating Every Story, in advance of Warner Bros. Studios 100th Anniversary on April 4, 2023. Throughout this year, around this exceptional birthday, activities and events will be held around the world, to which the brands that make up the Warner Bros. Discovery group will join. The launch of Warner TV in Spain is part of the special actions to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the prestigious Warner Bros. studio.

From what is seen this month on the channel it's basically repeats you have the trilogy of Mad Max alongside other films like Lethal Weapon, Suicide Squad and The Fugitive. So is it safe to say that the channel is only incorporating these WB repeats as they gear up for Warner TV.

Boomerang made several changes to their lineup before news of a 24 hour service of Cartoonito. It wouldn't be far fetched if the reasons these repeats are surfacing more frequently than usual had to with Warner TV.

Warner TV is set to be a premium brand so it won't be entirely repeats or from what this press statement suggests but an alternative to the likes of Universal, BBC Brit, BBC UKTV and Me. Of course, it hasn't been confirmed yet if the channel would be airing series.

Most of the TNT feeds alongside films had series added to the lineup but with the alignment being inevitable it's very much possible that the channel will be airing more content outside of AEW and films perhaps even Adult Swim and Toonami's catalogue will be viewed here.

Press Release: TNT To Become Warner TV In Spain As Part Of Global Celebration Of Warner Bros. Studios 100th Anniversary

Under the slogan "Pure entertainment", Warner TV will offer a wide range of internationally successful film and series programming, which includes an extensive catalog of reference titles from the prestigious Warner Bros. Studio.

Warner Bros. Discovery launches its new entertainment channel Warner TV on April 14, coinciding with the international celebration of the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studios. The brand, under the slogan "Pure entertainment", will offer a wide range of internationally successful film and series programming, which includes an extensive catalog of reference titles from the prestigious Warner Bros. studio. The new channel is thus aligned with the Warner TV channels in Europe, already present in France, Italy and Germany.

The new brand will take the place of TNT and, therefore, Warner TV will be present in the main pay television operators maintaining the same dials: Movistar Plus+ (dial 35), Vodafone TV (dial 30), Orange TV (dial 17) , Euskaltel (dial 16), R (dial 22), Telecable (dial 9), Virgin Telco (dial 20), Tivify (dial 16) and through Agile TV (dial 24).

Warner TV's offer is based on pure entertainment, with powerful series and internationally successful movies and, above all, full of stories that will make the viewer dream and exude a great sense of humor. The brand's commitment is to develop an offer of quality content with a triple common denominator: variety, entertainment and lots of fun for all audiences.

For this reason, its programming will be made up of prestigious series, already present on TNT, such as The Rookie, FBI and FBI: International, accompanied by comedies that have become television classics such as Friends, Big Bang or Ghosts. The best Warner Bros. cinema will occupy a privileged place on the channel: it will be the home of the DC Universe with titles such as Joker, Shazam!, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Justice League or Suicide Squad, along with sagas from the Warner Bros. studio .turned into contemporary classics like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Ocean's and Christopher Nolan's Batman and Blade trilogies. To this commitment to quality entertainment, Warner TV will add the premiere on linear pay television of various local and international productions from the Warner Bros. Discovery group. The first of these will be the premiere of Nadie sabe nada, an original program with Andreu Buenafuente and Berto Romero, which has become a benchmark for humor since its birth as a radio program and podcast.

Special Programming
The weekend of the launch, the channel starts with a luxury programming. On Friday, April 14, Warner TV opens with one of DC's most powerful titles: Joker, the film directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, winner of two Oscars and nominated for eleven statuettes.

On Saturday, April 15, the channel will celebrate the centenary of Warner Bros. in style with the broadcast, throughout the day, of emblematic titles of the studio such as Blade, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, A star is born, The Bodyguard or Wonder Woman, among many others.

To complete the commitment, on the afternoon of Sunday, April 16, Warner TV will premiere in Spain Expedition: Back to the Future, an exciting program of four one-hour episodes produced by Warner Bros. Discovery that will be broadcast as a marathon. A series that will make us live an epic journey in search of DeLorean cars at the hands of Josh Gates and Christopher Lloyd, in which we will visit the most iconic locations in Hollywood where the legendary Back to the Future trilogy was filmed. After the premiere, we will be able to see another of the DC jewels: Aquaman, with an outstanding Jason Momoa playing the king of the underwater nation of Atlantis.

Added to this powerful offer of the linear channel is its Warner TV Now service, which offers 800 episodes of on-demand content made up of Warner TV's reference series, a wide catalog of fiction from Warner Bros. Discovery and original productions from the group such as I don't like driving -which won three Feroz awards in its 2023 edition, including the best comedy series of the year-, Maricón perdido, El gran sarao, Vota Juan and Vamos Juan.

Warner Bros. Discovery officially kicked off its global centennial campaign in January, under the banner Celebrating Every Story, in advance of Warner Bros. Studios 100th Anniversary on April 4, 2023. Throughout this year, around this exceptional birthday, activities and events will be held around the world, to which the brands that make up the Warner Bros. Discovery group will join. The launch of Warner TV in Spain is part of the special actions to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the prestigious Warner Bros. studio.

Recap To The Past And Present: Is TNT Africa The Next Channel To Exit The African Market On DStv, GOtv And StarSat??? As Warner Bros. Discovery Appears To Be Repositioning The Brand

During the week, Warner Bros. Discovery announced the introduction of TNT Sports in the UK basically their outlet to premium based sports. There is Premier League, WWE, Olympic Games, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and Premiership Rugby.

In an interview it was outlined that TNT Sports fits into their focus on running a global business. The channel has already established its presence in Latin America and since 2023 the main TNT channel in the U.S. had bolstered it's offering following the bloodshed of original programming.

TNT comes in the form of a movie brand in the African market pulling close to 10 million households following the addition of TNT Hits featuring blockbusters like Venom, Suicide Squad and Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. It is also home to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Since 2021, Warner Bros. Discovery has been using an intermediary brand Warner TV for most if not all their content in parts of Europe with questions about a potential duplication in the African market remaining as quo in the time of these events.

Prior to the rollout of TNT Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled the Cartoonito Channel for the African market and through a virtual presentation it was confirmed that the decision to convert the channel had partially to do with the developments in other territories.

Warner Bros. Discovery:
- Boomerang to exit the African market from next month
- Prediction: DMAX launches as a free-to-air channel in the African market
- Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney spending more on original content

Before we even got official word on Cartoonito, Warner Bros. Discovery remained silent on further attractions for Boomerang and even converted several shows from the brand to Cartoonito and shifted it's schedule on a monthly basis.

As for TNT, Warner Bros. Discovery has shared several details about upcoming attractions for the second quarter of 2023 for all their brands ranging from Discovery Channel to Cartoonito but for some reason TNT is the only channel they have yet to release.

TNT has been performing well in the region and after attending that virtual event Warner Bros. Discovery seems more committed in keeping these channels open for fans as opposed to The Walt Disney Company's plans to end the lifespan of their brands.

Sports Entertainment:
- Could the rumoured SuperSport Schools replace another DStv channel?
- SuperSport Schools coming soon to DStv
- What you need to know about the NFL Superbowl 2023?

Warner TV has been getting a lot of attention across their platforms in other countries and if this happens to be the name they opt for the channel. It will be very much different to the versions seen in other countries as Warner has deals put in place for their content.

* Take to account, nothing is official as this could be nothing

Could TNT Be Undergoing Another Rebrand Or Possible Cancellation As Boomerang Exits The African Market By The End Of March?

During the week, it was reported Boomerang would go dark by end of March for Cartoonito. A fully fledged preschool destination offering fun, creative and engaging content for viewers and their families while as incorporating the Boomerang DNA.

The news was long expected since it's arrival in the United States. As a ray of original animation is set to rollout on Cartoonito including Batwheels, Bugs Bunny Builders and Tom And Jerry Time alongside former Boomerang shows Lucas The Spider and Mush Mush And The Mushables.

Now the attention points towards TNT, as mentioned by sources before AT&T acquired WarnerMedia. It was revealed that Warner in general was planning to phase out the Turner brand as it was deemed outdated with TCM being the only left of Turner.

As far as sources are concerned, the Turner brand is still alive in some parts of the world but are mostly used to air leverage content from HBO Max or just like TCM they opt to air older programming while licensing some content.

Warner Bros. Discovery:
- Boomerang to exit the African market from next month
- Prediction: DMAX launches as a free-to-air channel in the African market
- Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney spending more on original content
- HBO Max and Discovery+ not merging after all

While others like Poland and Romania had their TNTs extinguished for more original brand, Warner TV. It's basically a mashup of HBO and Adult Swim and I'm not counting my luck that something like this could be the future of TNT across Africa.

TNT was more of a general entertainment channel in these regions same as the United States and Africa once had such channel but most of the audience might not realise or better yet TNT once offered series and wasn't a movie channel infused with wrestling.

DStv:
- CBS Reality is the only brand to retain its identity in the UK from Paramount and AMC International
- Warner Bros. Discovery hinting at a possible rebrand to Boomerang as more preschool content fills the lineup
- MultiChoice shares crytpic message about eMedia's 4 channels
- BBC to close linear channels and move to an internet only digital future

If Warner TV had to be something that was set to take over the TNT brand name. I can see them make it more Adult Swim and Toonami type with the rest of TNT's current line-up forming part of this new offering.

For several months, TNT has been bringing a lot of edgier films like Suicide Squad, Bad Boys For Life, Venom and Men In Black International all of this is male oriented which is what Adult Swim and Toonami currently serve to their audience.

Future of Turner is uncertain about TCM, I wouldn't be shocked if TNT were discontinued solely because of the brand name and nothing came to its place unless Toonami was repositioned as seen in France with elites like AEW and Adult Swim.

Pierre Branco Appointed General Manager, France, Benelux And Africa, Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery today announced that Pierre Branco has been appointed General Manager, France, Benelux and Africa, Warner Bros. Discovery. He will continue to report to Priya Dogra, President and Managing Director, EMEA (ex Poland). In this role Pierre Branco will be responsible for Warner Bros. Discovery’s combined businesses working in close coordination with the company’s global functions across Streaming, Sport, US Programming, and the Studio and for each line of business, developing territory-specific strategies to drive growth and efficiencies. These include pay and FTA networks, leading significant efforts in marketing and monetising US content across lines of business including theatrical, licensing, consumer products, games and home entertainment and shared responsibility for the streaming services.

 

Priya Dogra, President and Managing Director, EMEA (ex Poland), said: “Pierre is an accomplished leader with a deep understanding and experience of these markets where he has already played a pivotal role in driving strategic business decisions. I am confident that his strong leadership and strategic acumen will continue to drive our businesses forward and connect our beloved brands and consumers in these important and competitive marketplaces.”

Pierre Branco said: "I am enormously proud to be part of this new chapter of Warner Bros. Discovery. I look forward to building on the legacy and values that have made both companies so successful in these regions, and to contribute to building the world’s most dynamic media company in these important markets. The opportunity to lead these fantastic teams is very exciting and I can’t wait to get started.”

 

Most recently, Branco was Country Manager for France, Benelux, Middle East and Africa and Head of Affiliates and Ad Sales for EMEA at WarnerMedia. During his 15 years at the company, he has held a number of roles across Europe, Middle East and Africa including SVP Northern Europe, MENAT, France & Africa and VP & General Manager France and Africa. In these roles, he significantly grew the company’s business and launched new brands in the region: Boing, Toonami and Warner TV.

WarnerMedia Is Rebranding The TNT Channels In Germany Into Warner TV, TNT Africa Might Follow Soon

WarnerMedia is giving its pay-TV channels in German-speaking countries new names. TNT Serie will become Warner TV Serie, TNT Film will become Warner TV Film and TNT Comedy will become Warner TV Comedy.

With the name change, which will take place on September 25, 2021, the channels will be clearly visible under the umbrella of the well-known US media brand Warner Bros. and should thus be perceived more strongly by subscribers, partners and advertisers as premium offerings, according to WarnerMedia.

The rebranding brings us closer to the hundred-year legacy of the Warner Bros. brand, which unmistakably stands for creative and authentic storytelling like no other in the world. Overall, it leads to a significant increase in brand awareness beyond the pay-TV sector, which in turn helps with marketing, “says Heyelmann in an interview. The Warner TV brand is already established in France, "and the TNT channels will gradually also be renamed in other European countries."

The current rebranding in Warner is a consequence of the realignment of WarnerMedia in the USA and possibly the merge of Discovery Inc. and WarnerMedia. They recently divested Great American Country to GAC Media some of its content can be seen on Real Time.

Besides that, they were rumours around the time Turner Broadcasting System rebranded into WarnerMedia that the company had plans to do away with the Turner name so far TNT, TCM and TBS all have that name through an interview TCM was considered a valuable property.

So TCM will likely join Boomerang as a brand for nostalgia while other brands like Cartoonito and Warner TV take over. There's no details on whether this will affect the United States.

Read Also:

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- tvN unveils upcoming programming

- Cartoon Network is working on getting content for family, what does that mean for Boomerang?
- July on Discovery Channel and Discovery Family
- July on Investigation Discovery
- Will Cartoonito be the future of Boomerang in the UK and EMEA?
- July on TLC and Real Time
- 100 international Disney Channels are closing in 2021
- Cartoon Network working on its first African superhero series
- FOX in Africa might be the next market to rebrand into Star
- Upcoming programming for the Disney Channels